Memories
by Lawliet Kazuma
Summary: As Sebastian and Ciel walked away from the dead Shinigami, Eric's cinematic record was still rolling...  Set before the musical, EricxAlan, M for violence and some lemon later on.
1. Chapter 1

"I was born alone in this world and alone I will die. If this is my fate, why are tears coming out of my eyes?" _Those words had been the last words had that Alan Humphries had thought as his neck had been sliced by Eric's death scythe. He had collapsed right in front of his partner's eyes, taking his last, unneeded as his supposedly immortal soul had faded from his weak and illness-stricken body. _

_Eric choked out a stunned sob, his emerald eyes glistening with his tears. "Alan…. Alan!" he cried. His knees buckled and gave out underneath him. He desperately held his partner to his muscular chest, begging pitifully for his partner to come back. "You can't be dead, Alan… I…I…" he whispered, but couldn't bring himself to finish his sentence as he rested his head on Alan's still chest. _

"_Eric Slingby, I have been ordered to kill you," Sebastian Michaelis told him. Eric looked up, raw and salty tears falling from his eyes. _

"_Kill me… Kill me," he pleaded, letting go of the smaller reaper to crawl over to the demon, only to grasp at his black slacks and weep. "I don't deserve to live anymore, I killed him." _

_The demon sighed in disgust at the man's actions and simply stepped away from him, going to grab Alan's death scythe. _

_Eric cringed at the sight of it… "Alan's scythe?" he breathed quietly, almost in a whimper. _

"_Yes. Is there a problem with him? Would you rather not dirty your friend's scythe with your own stained, sinned blood?" Sebastian questioned._

_The reaper lowered his head as he rose to his feet. "I…don't know anymore," he said quietly. "I don't know anything anymore." _

_Sebastian snorted and swung the weapon, striking Eric in the small of his back. His green eyes widened and he fell to the ground, landing directing beside his already fallen partner, the man he had sinned almost a thousand times for. He had only needed one more soul to save Alan…_

_As the butler and master abandoned the scene, even Sebastian failed to notice the continuation of Eric's cinematic record. It began when he met Alan, which he considered to be the start of his life. _

Alan had been the new employee when Eric was in his second year of graduating the academy. The older man was quite bored with the drab life of a grim reaper, his eyes plagued with the boring blacks, whites, and grays of the academy. There was no color, except for the spontaneous sparks of red from a certain reaper named Grell. Eric would watch him endlessly hound the Department's manager, the most boring reaper of all, William T. Spears. Eric honestly couldn't see what Grell wanted in William when he was the same as practically any other of the men at the office. They were all the same: workaholics, sticklers for the rules, and no fun at all.

But when Alan walked into the café that one day, Eric couldn't help but stare from over his coffee. The brunette was neatly dressed as the rest of the workers, but something was different about him and Eric could tell. Alan was holding a book in one hand, paying close attention to it, though he easily avoided the chairs that stuck out and the tables. He kept walking until he reached a back table, far away from the rest of the workers that were breaking in the café, in the corner. He sat himself down with his latté and didn't even tear his eyes from the pages of the book as he sipped on his drink.

Eric continued to stare subtly—and by that I mean glancing over at him through the corner of his glasses every few seconds—until it came time for him to return to work. He groaned inwardly and reluctantly rose from his chair, running a few fingers through the blond portion of his hair.

Grabbing his saw, he headed back to his office, the strange brunette easily slipping from his thoughts. He had other things to worry about other than strangers, like work. William had informed him earlier that he would be on a certain mission that day. God, he hoped it would be easy so he could go home and relax.


	2. Chapter 2

As Eric half-heartedly and sloppily filed out the death reports at his desk, he mentally screamed with happiness as someone entered his office and interrupted his work. He looked up slowly, careful not to look too desperate as he checked to see who it was.

There were mixed feelings inside of him as he looked at the visitors. One was William, meaning he was getting his assignment, and the other person was the stranger from the café, which he couldn't explain.

"Mr. Slingby," William began in his monotonous voice, "This is Alan Humphries. He is a recent graduate from the academy and I'd prefer it if you helped him with his first few assignments." (Meaning: There was nobody else available in the entire department.)

Eric forced a smile and rose from his seat, holding his hand out for the folder that held their first assignment. William slipped it into his grip and then walked out, leaving the two men alone. The blond set the folder down and held out his hand to shake with Alan, but the man didn't return the gesture. He actually looked kind of nervous about giving his hand to the bigger man.

Although it hurt slightly, Eric was used to the coldness of the Shinigami in the offices. He turned away from Alan and opened up the folder, easily scanning the page. "Okay, this seems simple enough," he said, mostly to himself, as he closed the folder and looked up at Alan. The brunette was simply standing there, his hand gripping the scythe tightly and his eyes looking frightened. He seemed like a lost puppy, debating on whether to fight or run away.

"Come on now," Eric told him with a slight grin, grabbing his saw from behind his desk. He took his death registry and tucked it into the inner pocket of his suit jacket before holding his hand out for the shorter male again. Alan once more looked reluctant, but silently took Eric's hand. The blond smiled triumphantly and led him from the office to the portal that would take them to the human world.

Alan was silent as they traveled and Eric watched him do the job quickly and effortlessly. It wasn't until the woman had finally died that Eric heard the man whisper softly, "I wish I could share your pain…" to the corpse. She had been young, dying of a asthma attack alone in her apartment.

Eric blinked at the compassion Alan showed for the deceased woman, even being careful with her cinematic record as he sliced it. Alan pulled out his own registry and wrote down the required information about her. When he concluded his work, he put the book away and turned to face Eric. "Why are you staring at me?" he asked softly, though the quiet volume was probably normal for him.

"I, er…" Eric stammered and hurriedly adverted his gaze from the man. Everything seemed calm for a few moments, until he heard an awful coughing sound and turned his head back to Alan, who was doubled over and gripping his chest roughly. Eric, not knowing exactly what was happening, easily lifted the sickened reaper into his arms and disappeared from the woman's apartment towards his own, which was nearby. The reapers sometimes lived in the human realm to make going home easier for them.

Although Eric traveled surprisingly quickly and his apartment wasn't too far away, Alan had stopped breathing hard, though he continued to cough, by the time he had unlocked the door and set Alan on the couch.

Eric quietly bent down next to him, his eyes watching him with concern. They had just met, but he wasn't gong to let his new partner die, or whatever was happening to him.

For a while they remained there, Alan's eyes closed as his breathing gradually returned to normal as Eric watched over him. When Alan opened his breathtaking green eyes, he gave Eric a gentle smile. "Thank you for taking care of me," he said in a light whisper before sitting up. He was grateful, but that didn't mean much.

"Er, you're welcome?" Eric asked, raising as eyebrow as the scrawny young man rose from the couch and straightened his clothes.

"I guess I will see you tomorrow at work," Alan told him with another small smile before he walked from Eric's apartment, leaving the blond terribly confused and scratching his head.


	3. Chapter 3

As the weeks passed, Alan had only a couple more attacks—which Eric dismissed as something like asthma—and the two had grown closer than ever. When work would run into overtime and Eric was too exhausted to travel all the way back to his own apartment, Alan allowed him to sleep on his couch until morning. They had become something more than just partners; just neither of them knew it. They often saw either other outside of work, sometimes spending the day in the park or just wasting time talking about ridiculous things until they both were on their backs on the floor, holding their stomachs as they laughed.

One particular night, they had crashed at Alan's place, having fallen asleep in his bedroom floor after rolling off the bed with their bouts of laughter. Eric had an arm draped over the smaller man, dozing heavily. Alan peeked one eye open, blushing silently at their position on the floor, before slipping from his grip and creeping quietly from the bedroom to surprise Eric with breakfast. He had learned that Eric didn't eat breakfast, something Alan hadn't been too happy about. Eric didn't take good care of his body, though he had no health problems. It irked the brunette when someone was on the path to ruining their perfect health.

The smell of freshly scrambled eggs traveled down the hallway of the apartment, the scent flirting with a hungry Eric. The brawny man grunted and cracked his eyes open, sniffing the air again before getting up from the floor and migrating to the kitchen. "Hmm…" he hummed, which for him meant good morning. Alan couldn't help but smile lightly at the gruff sound his friend made. He placed a bunch of eggs onto the platter, adding a couple pieces of French toast and then putting the plate in front of the groggy man.

"Good morning, Eric," Alan told him happily, creating a much small helping for himself and then sitting down across from Eric.

Eric yawned mid-bite and rubbed his back. "Do you remember how we ended up on the floor?" he questioned sleepily, even his eyes foggy. Alan simply shrugged, though he did faintly remember laughing madly with Eric until his upstairs neighbor told them to shut it, which only made them laugh harder. They were like a couple of teenagers, high off the night and just the jokes they cracked to each other. It was a hell of a lot of fun, and Alan personally decided that he wouldn't trade their fun times for anything else in the world.

"Ugh, it's Monday, isn't it?" Eric groaned, cutting off Alan's thoughts. Alan nodded and sighed a little. Monday was a work day and that meant they had five days until they could relax again.

Once both men finished breakfast and Alan had cleaned up, they headed to Alan's room to get dressed. Eric kept a spare outfit over at his friend's house for occasions like so. Alan shooed Eric out of the room so he could change alone; he didn't want Eric to question him about the little purple marks that were halfway up his forearm. He looked down at them and sighed quietly, once more thinking about the soul that had attacked him on his first assignment in the academy.

There was a soft knock on the door. "Alan? It's almost eight; we're going to be late," Eric said through the door.

"Coming," Alan said quickly, pulling on his clothes and fixing his hair before exiting the room. Eric followed him and soon they had reached work.

As time had worn on, Eric had begun to act better at work, and William had even personally congratulated him on the improvements of his paperwork. Alan had also congratulated him, but Eric was happier about pleasing Alan, not William.

The partners reached their conjoined office and sat down at their desks, each starting on his paperwork so they could get done as quickly as possible and maybe go home.


	4. Chapter 4

They had no such luck. Everyday they tried again, hoping for some free time to spend with each other, but all week it didn't work.

Thankfully, Friday night eventually rolled around and Eric was overjoyed. As they finished up the last bits of paperwork, Eric reached over with his foot and poked Alan's ankle. "Hey, Alan," he whispered, as if he was expecting someone to be listening in.

A small smile appeared on the lips of the other man and he glanced over at Eric a little. "Yes?" he asked, amused.

"Want to go out tonight?"

The question stunned Alan for a moment, making him speechless, but he soon gave a gently nod. "That would be…awesome," he finally replied in a breathy whisper.

Eric beamed and rapidly finished up his work, jumping over the desk and wrapping an arm around Alan's waist. He hefted the thin man over his shoulder and took off running from the office, grinning as he listened to Alan's laughter. He loved making the brunette laugh and smile; he seemed so unhappy at times. Every time he saw Alan frown or get tears in his eyes, Eric panicked and tried to make his friend happy again. He had gotten pretty good at it, too.

Alan playfully pounded on Eric's strong back as the blond sprinted through the building, getting weird stares from some of the other men, but neither cared. "Put me down, Eric!" Alan exclaimed through his fits of laughter.

"Aw, why?" Eric questioned as he dashed through the doors and headed towards the portal to the human world.

"Because I want to be put down and your shoulder is digging into my stomach!" he said, though it was a lie. He really didn't want to be put down, away from Eric's warm and comforting grip.

"Hang on, Alan. Almost there," Eric told him with an affectionate smile as he darted across the roofs towards a place he knew Alan would love.

When Alan felt his feet on the ground, he looked up at Eric and then looked around. They were surrounded by a field of purple flowers, and Alan took in a soft breath. "Ericas…" he said fondly. "I love these."

"I know. You told me one night and I couldn't find any of them at the flower shop, so this was the next best thing. Surprise."

Alan looked up at Eric and smiled, suddenly jumping up and wrapping his arms around the man's neck, pressing his thin lips to Eric's weathered ones. Eric had to grab the back of Alan's thighs to keep him from falling back down to earth, but he nearly dropped his friend when their lips met. He couldn't believe it, and even as his eyes closed he didn't believe he was really kissing his partner. It wasn't until Alan slowly parted his lips did Eric finally accepted what was happening as reality. The blond man's tongue instinctively crept past both sets of teeth, cautiously touching the other muscle.

A quiet, breathy moan blew into Eric's mouth and he tried not to smile. Although it lasted at least half a minute, the kiss was broken much too soon. Both of their faces were flushed and Alan grinned wickedly down at Eric since he was somewhat taller than his partner now that he was being held up. "Surprise," he teased, mocking what Eric had told him only a minute earlier.

Eric rolled his eyes and fell back into the flowers, Alan on his chest. "You're so silly," he told him, gently tapping his nose with a single finger and an affectionate smile on his face. They knew William was going to be pissed when he saw that they had just left without turning in their work, but it was worth it completely, to be able to lay with Alan like this.

As the elder stared up at the younger male, he felt a gentle hand caress his rough cheek. "You're a handsome man, Eric…" Alan breathed, bending his head down and giving him another kiss. It was much sweeter than the deep kiss they had shared, but it was magnificent either way.

"And you're so adorable," Eric responded, grinning up at Alan as he blushed with light pink cheeks. He wrapped an arm around Alan's waist, holding him close even as he rolled onto his side and Alan slid down to the ground next to him. He looked up at Eric with his brilliant eyes, and though he was a grown man, they still held a sense of innocence in them. It seemed as though everything bad in their lives had disappeared. They were in paradise with each other, in a field of Alan's favorite flower.


	5. Chapter 5

They could have laid there for hours, but it was quickly getting too dark for them to be outside. Even with night vision, neither of them felt comfortable being so far away from home in the middle of the night unless they were working. Alan had once told Eric that he felt vulnerable outdoors at night. Eric agreed, but he would never admit it to anyone, except Alan, the man who was there for him, no matter what happened.

Even though they went home, neither was upset with the decision. They retired to Eric's bigger apartment, instinctively heading to his bedroom. Eric had a large hand resting in the small of Alan's back, quietly walking next to him and watching him crawl onto the bed after kicking off his shoes. Eric slipped off his own shoes, sliding onto the bed next to Alan with a smile. They lay down next to each other, watching the ceiling before Eric gathered the courage to make the first move.

He slipped a strong arm around his partner's waist and pulled him close before pressing his mouth to Alan's. The brunette didn't protest, accepting the hard kiss as he wrapped his arms around Eric's neck and hugged him as if he was clinging for dear life. Eric chuckled into the kiss, not taking much time to snake his tongue past the barriers of teeth and into Alan's warm mouth. He heard a soft moan and felt a small shudder run down the younger man's back as their tongues met in a passionate battle for dominance, but Eric was quick to win, and Alan didn't mind much. He liked the feeling of Eric's tongue exploring his mouth, prodding curiously and finally wrapping around Alan's own tongue.

Another small moan came from Alan and he shivered again. He whined when Eric pulled away from his kiss-swollen lips. "Are you cold?" asked the elder, smirking a little at his partner. Alan nodded, but not because he was cold. "Here, let me warm you up." The blond reaper pulled Alan even closer, wrapping his free arm around his shoulders and gently sliding his leg around both of Alan's. Alan smiled faintly and slid his arms from Eric's neck to his chest, slowly undoing a button, followed by another one. When Eric didn't protest, he kept going until his chest was completely exposed. Stealing a glance up at Eric, he was surprised to see his usual mischievous grin.

His strong arms released Alan long enough to pull off his shirt and toss it carelessly to some unknown part of the room. His chest was covered in soft, downy-like hair, Alan daring himself to nuzzle his chest. He heard a chuckle. "You really are so cute," Eric told him. Alan smiled faintly. He wouldn't submit to anyone in any situation, except to Eric. He was special, and completely worth it.

As Alan lost himself in his thoughts, Eric reached down and undid the buttons on Alan's own shirt, sliding it off his thin arms. Alan tensed in worry once he felt the cold air on his skin, not wanting his partner to notice the marks that had now reached his elbow. He didn't want to explain what was happening to him. Not now, not at the perfect time they were sharing.

Thankfully, Eric was too absorbed in taking in the sight of Alan's lean chest to notice the purple marks on his arm. He bent his head down and couldn't help but kiss above Alan's heart. As he felt the warm lips on top of his pulse, he couldn't help but think about the disease that would eventually kill him by attacking his heart. The thought nearly brought him to tears, but the negative thoughts completely disappeared, as Eric decided to get a moan from him by sliding his lips around Alan's erect nipple.

He gasped a little, feeling every little nip and nibble Eric's teeth administered, his tongue eagerly swirling around the hardened stub.

Little moans erupted from Alan's throat every few moments, gasps coming in between the moans. When Eric moved his mouth from the now bruised nipple to the neglected one, Alan groaned and his back arched off the mattress ever so slightly. He could practically feel the grin against his alabaster skin.

Eric was growing harder as each little pleasured sound wormed its way into his ears. It felt so good to hear Alan's voice in a way he had never heard before; laughing was one thing, but the moans completely outranked the simple jokes he told Alan. Anyone could make him laugh if they tried, but he hoped it was special that he got Alan to moan.

Eric shifted his position and Alan felt the bulge in his pants be pressed down on. He gasped again, but louder than before. The blond reaper smiled and teasingly stripped Alan of his trousers and then his underwear, leaving him at the mercy of the cold air and the brawny man above him. Alan shivered and Eric pulled the bed's comforter over his back, creating a warm and cozy tent above Alan.

Once he was sure that his partner was comfortable, he gradually left a trail of kisses down Alan's smooth torso, stopping as he reached the erection between Alan's legs. He glanced up at the reaper's face before slowly licking under his cock, starting from the base and running his tongue up to the tip. He relished the high-pitched groan that erupted from Alan's throat, his hands gripping the bed sheets tightly and his back arching up again.

It was too much for Eric. He couldn't keep teasing his new lover, though he wanted to. With a small moan of his own, he suddenly engulfed Alan's length with his mouth, closing his eyes as he listened to Alan. "A-ah, Eric!" the other man cried. He had almost been unable to say it, his mind overcome with pleasure. Eric's large tongue lapped at the pre-cum that generously dripped into his mouth and Alan's plentiful sounds reverberated in his ears.

Eric pulled away before more longer, drawing a whine from Alan. He chuckled and kissed Alan's stomach before he slipped his fingers into his own mouth, wetting them fully. Alan just watched his partner with his brilliantly green eyes, nervousness and pleasure radiating from them. Eric had continually not noticed the marks on his arm, but Alan knew he would eventually.

"It'll be okay, 'Lan," Eric told his friend soothingly with a gentle smile by calling him by his nickname, once he had removed the three fingers from his mouth. Alan couldn't help but give him a faint smile in return, a slight blush on his cheeks.

"I believe because you say it," Alan murmured, watching as Eric bent down for a passionate kiss to distract him from the pain of a single finger sliding into his entrance. It didn't work. Alan's mouth opened against Eric's, a pained gasp going into Eric's own mouth. He pulled away and gently shushed Alan, pressing sweet, little kisses all over Alan's face as if it would help.

"The pain will go away soon," Eric promised with a worried look on his features as he waited for Alan to get used to his digit. Soon the smaller reaper relaxed and gave Eric a curt nod. Eric slowly began to press into him before pulling back out, watching Alan's face for any signs, no matter how slight, of pain. Alan's features were mostly distorted with discomfort, but it faded after a while and then Eric added a second finger. Alan made a small mewling noise, but Eric couldn't decipher whether it meant pain or pleasure.

When he began to scissor him, stretching him, he winced and remained tense until Eric's fingers brushed over his sweet spot. Alan gasped and a quiet moan sneaked its way from his lips. Eric smiled a little and slowly prodded the spot, listening to the steady stream of moans and groans that Alan made.

Finally, Alan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Eric… You can enter me now," he breathed. Wordlessly, Eric nodded and removed his fingers with a slight gasp from Alan. He slowly slid out of his pants and then pulled down his boxers, pushing them away and onto the floor. He stroked himself a few times to get himself fully hard before he cautiously pressed into Alan, wrapping the smaller man's legs around Eric's waist. The smaller man gasped again, but it was more of a cry. Eric bit his lip, looking down at the brunette's face. "I'm sorry," Eric mouthed silently, not having the ability to say anything as his cock was enveloped in Alan's tight and hot entrance.

He stayed still until he heard Alan's meek voice: "You can move now…" Eric nodded and began with slow and deep thrusts, a small smirk forming on his lips. He watched as Alan's back arched off the bed, his eyes shut tightly as started to moan with his fingers digging into the white sheets.

"Nrgh… E-Eric…" he moaned. The way Alan said his name made a shiver go down Eric's spine and he began to move a bit faster. "H-harder…" he stammered.

Eric complied almost instantly, angling his hips for more of the sweet friction. He groaned softly, loving the feeling of being inside Alan. He grasped the smaller reaper's erection and started pumping him in time with his thrusts. He relished Alan's cries of pleasure, loving how he pleased Alan.

A particularly loud cry jolted the blond man from his thoughts. He looked down at Alan, worried he'd hurt him, to seeing him whining. "K-keep hitting…that spot…" Alan told him quietly, panting quietly. Eric smiled faintly, amused, and then he angled his thrusts to hit his partner's sweet spot.

Alan's moans continued until he finally gasped and his body jerked, white shrouding his vision as he came suddenly and covered Eric's torso with his essence. He wanted to just lay back, relax, and enjoy the high of his orgasm, but Eric didn't stop until he also came. At that point, he was covered in a sheen of sweat and the idea of going to sleep was very alluring. He laid down next to his new lover with a content sigh and cuddled close to him.

"I love you, Eric," he heard Alan murmur, but he didn't have the time to respond before they both fell asleep in each other's arms.


	6. Chapter 6

The morning sun peeked through the window of the bedroom much too early for the couple's liking. Even for Alan, who was usually up in the morning. Eric was surprisingly the first one to open his eyes, chuckling as he felt Alan's arm on his chest. He looked down to move it so he could get out of bed, but he saw purple thorn-like markings on the thin arm that went all the way up to his shoulder. His smile faded into a worried frown and he gently shook his lover's shoulder.

Alan gradually woke up and smiled happily up at Eric until he saw the blond's expression.

"Alan, explain these," Eric said softly, gently touching the marks. He watched the smaller reaper turn nervous.

"E-E-Eric," he stammered, his voice squeaking softly as he retracted his arm from Eric's chest. "It's nothing to worry about. It was a little illness I got right before I graduated. It's no big deal."

The man wasn't convinced. "Alan, what is it? Please tell me," he pleaded softly.

"I…I have the Thorns of Death…"

The words struck Eric harder than anything ever had in his life. He had been warned of the disease when he was in the academy. He hadn't thought too much about it after that, but now he had a reason to worry. His partner, now his lover, was inflicted.

"So that means…you're going to die?" Eric breathed, almost unable to speak. His heart wrenched as he saw Alan nod silently. He bit his lip to hold back tears before he pulled Alan in a crushing hug. "I can't let you die, Alan. I care for you too much…" he whispered. Alan whimpered and hugged Eric back.

"There's no way to cure it, Eric. It's my fate to die…" Alan whispered back. "But at least I'll be with you before that happens."

They held each other for what seemed like hours, not speaking as word as Eric tried to comprehend his lover's illness and get a grip on the fact that he would soon lose Alan to death. It was ironic. Death itself was dying. But it was no time to make jokes.

"Alan, I know you don't have much time, but I'm determined to make you happy until the moment I lose you. It's the least I could do for you," Eric told him softly.

The other reaper smiled and kissed Eric's cheek. "You've done a terrific job these few weeks, though…" he said quietly. "But can I go back to sleep? I'm really sleepy. I'll make breakfast soon," he said sheepishly.

Eric chuckled and nodded. "All right, sexy. I have to go out and run a few errands; I'll be back soon," he promised, slipping out of bed and kissing Alan's blushing cheek before going to go get a shower.

Once he was clean and ready, Eric departed from the apartment, though he was now nervous about leaving Alan alone. What if he had one of those attacks while he was gone? He shook his head; his errand was really important. He had to find a way to save Alan. He couldn't be lonely again.

He arrived and looked up at the weathered sign, taking a deep breath before he entered the building. Although he had retired decades ago, Eric knew a lot about the old Shinigami from William, who seemed to seriously respect him.

"Undertaker?" he called, looking around the dim room. He jumped when there was a creak and one of the coffins opened.

"Yesssss?" Undertaker hissed, giggling as he peeked from the coffin. "Oh~? A new customer~? Are you here to be fitted for a coffin?"

Eric shuddered at the thought of being trapped in a coffin. "No, Sir. My name is Eric Slingby and I'm here to ask about a certain disease… I don't want to go to Mr. William to ask him." He took a deep breath. "I want to know how to cure the Thorns of Death."

That seemed to catch the silver-haired man's attention. "Oh? Afraid to die, are you?" he giggled.

"No, Mr. Undertaker. It's not me that is inflicted. It's a dear friend of mine and I will do anything to save him," Eric declared.

"Ah~. Well, there is no official cure for the Thorns of Death, but there is one supposed way…" He giggled again. "Collect a thousand pure souls and then, maybe, your friend will be cured. However, it is considered a sin for all Shinigami," he warned.

Eric tensed up, worried. He didn't know how to get a thousand pure souls just by working, and he didn't have access to those… But he would do anything to save Alan. He nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Undertaker. I'll be leaving now," he said before walking out of the building. He needed to think of a way to save his friend… Even if it meant losing everything else.


End file.
